WO 2007/135155 A2 describes assemblies in a printing couple of a rotary printing press. Each such assembly is comprised of at least one forme cylinder, three ink forme rollers, two distribution rollers, and one ink flow dividing roller. Both of the distribution rollers are engaged directly against the ink flow dividing roller. One of the ink forme rollers is engaged against one of the distribution rollers and against the forme cylinder. The other two ink forme rollers are engaged against the distribution roller and against the forme cylinder. The forme cylinder is covered with a plurality of printing formes. The dampening unit of the printing couple includes a smoothing roller which executes an oscillating stroke in the axial direction of the roller. The oscillating stroke of the smoothing roller can be generated by a stand-alone drive. Alternatively, the generation of the oscillating stroke of the smoothing roller can be coupled to the drive for rotating the smoothing roller. In that case, the oscillating stroke of the smoothing roller is derived from the rotational motion by the use of a transmission.
WO 2005/007410 A2 describes a roller of an inking or dampening unit, which has both a separate motorized drive, that is embodied as a drive motor, and an oscillating drive. The roller is mounted on a spherical bushing, which is connected to the motor shaft of the drive motor through the use of an angle or bevel gear transmission, an angle compensating coupling, and a shaft, and which transmits torque. Such a mounting permits the transmission of rotational movement, while still allowing the roller to oscillate axially relative to the shaft. The balls of the spherical bushing run in longitudinal grooves in both the shaft and the bearing body. This allows torque to be transmitted, while allowing the bearing body to move axially relative to the shaft.
DE 101 61 889 A1 describes an inking unit of a printing press with an ink distribution roller. The ink distribution roller is connected to a drive motor by a magnetic coupling utilizing permanent magnets. The two coupling halves of the magnetic coupling are not able to move relative to one another in the direction of the rotational axis of the ink distribution roller.
DE 39 17 074 A1 and DE 1 233 416 B both disclose the use of electromagnetic clutches in inking units. A compensation for an oscillating stroke within the clutch is not suggested.
DE 10 2006 007 581 A1 describes an oscillating drive of a cylinder of a printing press, and which has a torque motor for rotationally driving the printing press cylinder. The rotor of the torque motor is rigidly connected to a journal of the printing press cylinder. Oscillating motion is enabled by the provision of a journal extension that extends beyond the torque motor, and with which journal extension a linear drive engages.